1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to removable grass collection baskets which are attached to reel mower cutting units for receiving grass clippings, and the mechanisms which couple such baskets to the cutting unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to provide reel mower cutting units with baskets or containers which are positioned adjacent the cutting unit to receive grass clippings. When the basket becomes full of grass clippings the operator will remove or detach the basket from the cutting unit to empty it at a desired location.
Various mechanisms have been provided for attaching or coupling the basket to the cutting unit so that it can be removed for emptying. One such mechanism provides a pair of laterally spaced and upwardly projecting rods or stingers which are fixed to respective left and right sides of the cutting unit. The basket includes mating openings or slots into which the stingers are received to hold the basket in position. The operator removes a full basket by lifting each side of the basket until the stingers are no longer within the slots. Some such baskets are coupled to cutting units which are pushed in front of the vehicle, and allow clearance for the operator to easily access the basket such that he can grasp each side of the heavy basket to lift and remove it from the stingers. However, some cutting units are positioned beneath the vehicle such that the operator's access to the basket is limited. When the operator stands beside the vehicle to remove the full basket from beneath the vehicle he can relatively easily remove the side of the basket from the stinger which is on the same side of the cutting unit that he is standing. But the other side of the basket is difficult to lift off of its stinger without walking around the vehicle to the other side, since the operator would have to reach beneath the vehicle from a relatively low angle to lift the basket from the stinger. The full basket is relatively heavy, and removal of the basket from the stingers can be relatively difficult due to the awkward way in which the operator must reach under the vehicle. Other conventional attaching mechanisms include hooks or brackets located at the sides of the basket, and therefore they too make it difficult for an operator to remove a full basket from cutting units positioned beneath a vehicle.
Furthermore, the position of these cutting units beneath the vehicle can make it relatively difficult for an operator to re-attach the basket to the cutting unit once he has emptied the clippings. As the operator stands at one side of the vehicle to install the basket beneath the vehicle he can easily position the side of the basket closest to him onto the appropriate stinger. However, he may encounter difficulty in aligning the opening in the other side of the basket with the stinger on the opposite side of the cutting unit.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a clippings basket and attachment mechanism that allows an operator to more easily remove a full clippings basket from a reel mower cutting unit, particularly a cutting unit positioned beneath a vehicle. It would also be desirable for such a mechanism to be easily re-attached to the cutting unit beneath the vehicle once the basket has been emptied.